Elizabeth Fraser
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| Elizabeth Fraser | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elizabeth Davidson Fraser |
| Born | August 29, 1963 Scotland UK |
| Genre(s) | Rock, Ambient, Indie |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Associated acts | Cocteau Twins This Mortal Coil |
| Website | www.elizabethfraser.com |
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born August 29, 1963 in Grangemouth) is a Scottish singer, best known for her vocal work as the Cocteau Twins' lead singer. Her vocal stylings and abstract, indecipherable lyrics have generated much debate over the years, but she has often been circumspect on the matter when asked about it.[1]
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[edit] Fraser and Cocteau Twins
Fraser was the vocalist and lyricist in Cocteau Twins. The group was founded in 1981 in her hometown by Robin Guthrie and his friend Will Heggie. At the time, she was only 17 years old, and had never thought of herself as a singer. Guthrie and Heggie noticed her dancing at a club one night, and asked her to join their band.[1] After an on-off phase, the band recorded some tracks which were sent as demos to John Peel and Ivo Watts-Russell of 4AD which led to their being signed by the London-based label.[2] Fraser and Guthrie formed an intimate relationship, the couple having a daughter, Lucy Belle, in 1989. Guthrie liberally used drugs and alcohol through the years[3], and Fraser suffered a nervous breakdown during the recording of Four-Calendar Café[4]. Following the long string of turbulence the couple broke up in 1992, still opting to continue a musical relationship until 1998, when Cocteau Twins were finally disbanded. She also had an intense personal relationship with Jeff Buckley, and the effects of which resulted in recording a duet with him. She speaks candidly about her relationship in the BBC documentary, Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You.[5]
Cocteau Twins were due to perform for the North American Coachella Festival on 30 April 2005. However, a statement issued 16 March 2005 by the band's management said: "It is with regret that Cocteau Twins announce they will not be performing at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival as had been planned. Due to personal reasons, member Elizabeth Fraser has decided that she is unable to participate in the reunion, and apologies for any inconvenience this has caused. No future plans for any reunion are currently being made. Our sincere thanks and apologies to all the fans and media who wrote to us expressing your enthusiasm and support.”
During the years of working as part of Cocteau Twins, Fraser also collaborated with numerous artists, appearing on 4AD house band This Mortal Coil's first release along with her bandmates, and providing one-off vocals for acts such as Felt, Dif Juz (Extractions LP), Orbital (Omen EP), the Future Sound of London (Lifeforms EP), the Wolfgang Press, Ian McCulloch and others.
[edit] Post-Cocteau partnerships
After the breakup of Cocteau Twins in 1998, Elizabeth Fraser continued to collaborate with a range of performers, including The Future Sound of London, Elliot Goldenthal, Craig Armstrong, Massive Attack (including live performances at the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London on June 23, 2006 and at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on September 16, 2006), and Peter Gabriel's millennium project OVO.
She has subsequently contributed to the soundtracks of several films, such as, In Dreams, Cruel Intentions, The Winter Guest and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (also uncredited in the soundtrack of the Fellowship Of The Ring Extended Edition DVD), and has occasionally appeared as a guest artist on other musicians' projects.
In 2005, she also participated in Yann Tiersen's album Les Retrouvailles. She sings in two pieces: "Kala" and "Mary".
[edit] Solo career
Aside from the work with other artists, Fraser's solo career has been quiet. In the year 2000, a white label recording called Underwater was released in a limited edition of only 200 copies. She contributed a cover version of "At Last I'm Free" (originally by '70s band Chic, covered by Robert Wyatt) on the 2003 album Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, a celebration of 25 year of Rough Trade Records. In 2004, Fraser was invited to participate in a unique audio exhibit, "Shhh...", at London's Victoria and Albert Museum for which she produced a piece called "Expectant Mood", which has not been made commercially available. Fraser has reportedly signed to Blanco y Negro Records[6], but little is known about the progress of an officially released solo album. In December 2006 New Music Express magazine reported that her solo album was due for release in early 2007. The album will contain eight tracks, one of which is to be a cover version. No titles have been made public at this time.
[edit] Website
The official website Elizabethfraser.com was initially created by a fan, but was taken over by Elizabeth Fraser's management company on March 22, 2007. As of March 2008, the new site content is currently under construction.
[edit] Family
Elizabeth lives with her partner, musician Damon Reece (from the band Lupine Howl) in Bristol, England. She has two daughters, Lucy and Lily. Lucy Belle Guthrie is the daughter of Robin Guthrie, and she lived with her father in France until August 2006 when she moved in with her mother in Bristol to pursue her education at a local school.
[edit] Discography (1994 - 2006)
| Artist | Title | Track(s) | Date | Label | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massive Attack | Collected | Silent Spring | 2006 | Melankolic | |
| Yann Tiersen | Les Retrouvailles | Mary, Kala | June 14, 2005 | EMI | B000852GIQ |
| Elizabeth Fraser | Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before | At Last I Am Free | October 7, 2003 | Rough Trade | |
| The Lord of The Rings The Two Towers (film) | Isengard Unleashed | December 10, 2002 | Warner Brothers | ||
| The Lord of The Rings The Fellowship of the Ring (film) | Lothlórien: The Lament for Gandalf | November 20, 2001 | Warner Brothers | ||
| Peter Gabriel | Ovo | Downside Up, Make Tomorrow | August 8, 2000 | EMI | |
| Elizabeth Fraser | Underwater | Underwater | 2000 | White Label (200 copies) | |
| Elliot Goldenthal; Elizabeth Fraser | In Dreams (film) | Dream Baby | January 12, 1999 | EMI | |
| Simon Raymonde | Blame Someone Else | Worship Me | 1998 | Bella Union | Bella CD1 |
| Massive Attack | Mezzanine | Teardrop, Black Milk, Group Four | 1998 | Melankolic | |
| The Winter Guest (film) | Take Me With You | January 13, 1998 | Universal | ||
| Craig Armstrong | The Space Between Us | This Love | February 24, 1998 | Melankolic | |
| The Future Sound of London | Lifeforms [Remixes] EP | Lifeforms 1-5 and 7 | July 29, 1994 | Astralwerks | ASW 6114-2 |
[edit] See also
- "Teardrop" (Massive Attack song)
- "Lifeforms" (Future Sound of London song)
- "In Dreams" (Elliot Goldenthal score)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Elizabeth Fraser's website
- ^ cocteau twins | history | chapter 1: 1982 at www.cocteautwins.com
- ^ cocteau twins | history | chapter 16: 1993 at www.cocteautwins.com
- ^ cocteau twins | media | print | Alternative Press - January 1996 at www.cocteautwins.com
- ^ BBC 4 feature
- ^ Solo album Cocteau Twins frontwoman Elizabeth Fraser out this spring
[edit] External links
- ElizabethFraser.com, Official website
- ElizabethFraser.co.uk, First launched fan website
- Cocteau Twins, Official website of Cocteau Twins
- Cocteautwinsforums.com Official Cocteau Twins Forums
- CocteauTwins.org, Official fan website
- Internet Radio Station (cocteautwinsradio.com)
- CocteauTwins.co.uk, UK website
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